I was so pleased to see that Geoff Regan was elected to be Speaker of the House or Commons. Geoff will do a good job. In 7 years of working with Geoff in the House, I found him to be bright, fair, pleasant, knowledgeable, firm when required, and very hard working. I have no doubt that he will do his best... and that will be very good indeed. I wish him luck in reining in the hecklers. That bothered me greatly when I was there. It is time for some real debate, whaich involves both speaking AND listening! Congrats to Geoff! A very welcome and needed change.

November

I have been reflecting upon the terrorist events in Paris, reading and hearing about the reactions from worried Canadians and frantic media, and I wanted to try to put this into perspective as to what we should really fear . So I went to Stats Canada for data about the 10 leading causes of death in Canada, and compared those to the 505 homicides in Canada in 2013. I made a spreadsheet, and found that compared to the probability of death by homicide (1.44/100,000 population), there are many other causes in Canada that rank far, far higher:
Malignant neoplasms (Cancer) (X 20,791)
Diseases of heart (heart disease) (x 13,663)
Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) (x 3,810)
Chronic lower respiratory diseases (x 3,208)
Accidents (unintentional injuries) (x 3,974)
Diabetes mellitus (diabetes)
Alzheimer's disease
Influenza and pneumonia
Intentional self-harm (suicide) (x 1,069)
Nephritis, nephrosis (kidney disease)
Homicides ( X 1.0 )
If this year there were an additional 505 homicides in Canada due to terrorists, and we compared that potential statistic to the 10 leading causes of death here, potential terrorism pales in contrast to the these 10 leading causes of death in Canada.
E.g.
- You are more than 1000 x more likely to commit suicide than die by one of the 505 annual homicides.
- You are almost 4,000 x more likely to die by accident (mostly automotive)
- and the BIG ONE: you are almost 21,000 x more likely to die of cancer. (After WW II, your chance of dying of cancer was about 1 in 7, usually in old age; today your chance of a cancer death is about 50% if male, and 33% if female, increasingly that is at younger and younger ages, even often in childhood.)
So if we REALLY want to worry about things that are really likely to kill us here are we should be doing:
- More resources for treating mental illness
- Getting serious about the risks of smoking and air pollution and resulting respiratory diseases
- Getting serious about one of the most dangerous addictions we suffer from: driving cars
- Getting serious about reducing and preventing the additives (both intended and un-intended) to air, food, and water that are causing cancer in ourselves and our friends and loved ones, at a rate of almost 30,000 people per 100, 000 annual deaths in Canada each year.
I am at least 20,791 times more worried about I or my family dying of cancer than I am about being shot or blown up.

October

I received a very nice email from a respected friend: "Congratulations on your hard and well-fought campaign. You deserved a better outcome given what you accomplished for the long-term benefit of the region, particularly the North Shore. Losing hurts but I hope you will be proud of a more important victory - upholding your personal values in the face of inordinate pressure to conform. Stay true to those values and continue your fight to preserve Mother Earth for succeeding generations. Well done!
Bob" Thanks Bob!

I am so proud of my Thunder Bay Green team! WE appear to doing very well. Win or not we all did a great job! All Green supporters from both Thunder Bay ridings are invited to join us tonight at the Finlandia Club above the Hoito, 9 until the national results are in. Music, snacks, cash bar, and celebrate a great leader, best platform, and wonderful team effort. See you there!

Only 4.5 hours until the polls close! Make sure you get the chance to cast your ballot before 9:30. If you are unsure how to vote or need a ride, give our office a call at 344-3222. Vote for the Canada you want!

Very honoured to have been endorsed by GreenPac Canada’s non-partisan organization committed to building environmental leadership in politics, as one of only 18 candidates from across the country selected for their strong environmental track records. Check it out at http://www.greenpac.ca/bruce_hyer_endorsed

I met Thomas Mulcair and his wife Catherine in Toronto a few weeks ago. They both made a warm and genuine impression on me. I was invited to town by MP Andrew Cash to support Canada’s NDP / Le NPD du Canada announcement for Arts and Culture funding and development. Musicians, actors, writers, producers, promoters, agents, technicians, artists, and more, were all there to show support for the New Democrats! I would like to take a moment to extend a thank you to the exciting, hard working and impressive MPs who I have had the pleasure of watching in action, and sometimes working with. Megan Leslie Nathan Cullen Ted Hsu Charlie Angus Bruce Hyer Elizabeth May Peggy Nash
I do hope that Linda McQuaig Jennifer Hollett Olivia Chow Noah Richler John Fenik and other caring and competent public servants join you in your continued work in the House of Commons!
Happy voting tomorrow Canada!

I met Thomas Mulcair and his wife Catherine in Toronto a few weeks ago. They both made a warm and genuine impression on me. I was invited to town by MP Andrew Cash to support Canada’s NDP / Le NPD du Canada announcement for Arts and Culture funding and development. Musicians, actors, writers, producers, promoters, agents, technicians, artists, and more, were all there to show support for the New Democrats! I would like to take a moment to extend a thank you to the exciting, hard working and impressive MPs who I have had the pleasure of watching in action, and sometimes working with. Megan Leslie Nathan Cullen Ted Hsu Charlie Angus Bruce Hyer Elizabeth May Peggy Nash
I do hope that Linda McQuaig Jennifer Hollett Olivia Chow Noah Richler John Fenik and other caring and competent public servants join you in your continued work in the House of Commons!
Happy voting tomorrow Canada!

It’s A Three Way Race in Superior North !
The Green Party commissioned an October 8-10 poll by highly regarded OraclePoll. This scientifically designed survey has a margin of error +/- 5.6 %, 19/20 times. Oracle asked eligible voters three questions:
1) Do you agree that Bruce Hyer has been a strong and hard-working representative of your community over the past 6 years?
Result: 90.2 % of decided voters said "Yes".
2) Do you agree that Bruce Hyer deserves to be re-elected as your MP?
Result: 66.3% of decided voters said "Yes".
3) If a Federal election were held today, which party and its Candidate in the riding of Thunder Bay-Superior North would you most likely vote for or be leaning toward at this time?
Green Party & Bruce Hyer: 37.5% of decided voters said “Yes”
(OraclePoll shows Hyer at a statistical tie for first place)
Conservative Party & Richard Harvey: 11.6 % of decided voters said, “Yes”.
The # of undecided voters: 28%
OraclePoll certainly confirms that the NDP’s outrageous claims that it is a tight race here between Foulds and Harvey is blatantly dishonest deception.
It is now very clear that this is a three-way race. You are free to vote with your head and heart for the non-Conservative Member of Parliament whom you believe will best represent your interests in Parliament. Especially interesting is that 28% of eligible voters are still undecided. The undecided will decide!
Well-known Canadian folk singer Valdy said, “Bad governments are elected by people who don’t vote.”

“Why I Joined the Green Party”
Our three largest parties are trapped in old style, 20th century politics, with little compromise or cooperation. The Greens are the party of the future. We are putting principle ahead of political partisanship. We have the best platform and we have the best leader.
Former NDP leader Jack Layton was very persuasive, but he never whipped our voting. He was unusual in his ability to balance the desires of the party, and the needs of his MPs. When he became leader, Mr. Mulcair made it very clear that whipped votes would now be mandatory for NDP MPs. The Party Whip told me that if I did not vote the way the party wanted 100% of the time, I would be “punished” and they would not sign my nomination papers. Since I left three years ago, all NDP MPs have bowed to Mulcair’s will! The candidates for both the NDP and Liberals have made it clear that they will be “team players” and will put the wishes of the party first. But this is not hockey!
Here is the statement that I prepared to present in the House in April of 2012.
“Mr. Speaker:
When the voters of Thunder Bay-Superior North chose me to be their voice in the House of Commons, I committed to them to be honest, open, and accessible... and to keep my campaign promises!
Despite extensive life experience, none of that quite prepared me for the problems in Parliament. Our three main parties require lockstep discipline, with little room for meaningful public debate, or for putting constituents ahead of party politics!
The main parties are mired in a win-lose battlefield mentality. Instead of cooperation and compromise, our voters observe mindless solidarity.
Therefore Mr. Speaker, to best represent my constituents, as of today I will be sitting as an Independent.”
I sat as an Independent for almost 2 years, and was far more effective at representing my riding than as a member of the NDP caucus. I received many more questions and statements in the House, and could better work cooperatively with MPs from all parties.
So, why did I join the Green Party in 2013? Unlike most MPs, I was then able to put my constituents first, in the only truly democratic party. Plus, I have access to the resources of a well-organized and established party with high-quality researchers and a network of experts in many fields.
One MP friend told me that he has just accepted the fact that he is merely a “Customer Sales Rep for the NDP” in his riding!
It has been this way, and getting worse and worse, since 1970, when Pierre Trudeau amended the Elections Act to increase the leader’s control over his caucus members.
Parties are not even mentioned in the Constitution! From 1867 until 1970, MPs worked for their ridings, and the leaders had to use skill and persuasion to keep their caucus supportive. Trudeau added party names were to the ballots for the first time since Confederation. Worse, in the fine print Trudeau’s amendments required the national party leaders to sign the nomination papers of party candidates... or they are not allowed to run, even if selected by their riding associations. Soon, Pierre Trudeau was calling his own backbenchers “mere trained seals”!
Let me summarize in simple, straightforward terms why I joined the Green Party in 2013:
• I will always put the interests of my constituents ahead of any party! The Green Party is the only party that allows their MPs to do that. I will never represent any party that "whips" (mandates) voting by their MPs.
• It is the only party, and Elizabeth is the only leader, who seeks cooperation and compromise with other parties, and respect for all MPs.
• The Greens have the best principles and platform. They are very comprehensive and balanced with not only environmental priorities, but sophisticated social and economic strategies as well. Thunder Bay’s own Kevin Page, Parliamentary Budget Officer for the last 5 years, endorsed it.
• The Greens have the best Leader! Elizabeth May is setting a new and high standard in the House of Commons. Smart. Caring. Loving. The hardest working MP. There are two kinds of politicians: those who want to serve... and those who want to be served. Elizabeth May is the only Leader who is putting democracy, our Planet, and our country ahead of old style Party Politics.
I want to serve in a government that:
• encourages the creative and industrious and generous,
• protects the vulnerable, and
• controls those who are dangerous or pathologically greedy.
It appears probable that soon we will have a Liberal minority government in which new Green MPs will have significant influence, perhaps even the balance of power. I hope to be re-elected in order to help to build a more co-operative Parliament, a fairer Canada, and to be an even stronger voice for all the constituents of Thunder Bay-Superior North.
Bruce Hyer
Bruce@BruceHyer.ca

The Green spirit in Thunder Bay is fantastic!
A great day Friday with Bruce Hyer and Christy Radbourne. Thank you Peter Bevan-Baker for coming all the way from PEI, and to all our supporters who more than filled the FInlandia Club.

Wow! What a fabulous evening speaking with a standing room only crowd at our town hall with Elizabeth May. With only 9 days until election day, the momentum just keeps on building! As Elizabeth said tonight, voters in Thunder Bay Superior North don't have to vote out of fear, but can choose the candidate that they want to represent them in Ottawa!

#ThrowBackThursday to Live from the Rock Folk Fest 2014. #TBT
Tomorrow evening join Elizabeth May, Christy Radbourne, and me for some free live music, food, and drinks at the Finlandia!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1633983310210245/

Cambridge's conservative candidate actually showed up to tonight's debate! I submitted a question in writing:
To all candidates except for Gary Goodyear -
"When asked a question about the importance of science (by Bruce Hyer), Cambridge's representative, Mr Goodyear, said, "What I would recommend to the honourable member is that when he tightens that towel around his neck at nighttime that he not do it for more than 20 seconds. It actually ends up causing cerebral anoxia that leaves permanent brain damage.”
If it was uncomfortable to listen to this now, remember this was our representative speaking on our behalf in the House of Commons. I want an MP we can be proud of. If elected, how will you conduct yourself differently, demonstrate respect for parliament and the citizens you're there to represent."
edit: The line was out the door and standing room only. My question didn't get asked but I'm glad to at least be able to share it here.

Cambridge's conservative candidate actually showed up to tonight's debate! I submitted a question in writing:
To all candidates except for Gary Goodyear -
"When asked a question about the importance of science (by Bruce Hyer), Cambridge's representative, Mr Goodyear, said, "What I would recommend to the honourable member is that when he tightens that towel around his neck at nighttime that he not do it for more than 20 seconds. It actually ends up causing cerebral anoxia that leaves permanent brain damage.”
If it was uncomfortable to listen to this now, remember this was our representative speaking on our behalf in the House of Commons. I want an MP we can be proud of. If elected, how will you conduct yourself differently, demonstrate respect for parliament and the citizens you're there to represent."
edit: The line was out the door and standing room only. My question didn't get asked but I'm glad to at least be able to share it here.

A post-secondary education has never been more necessary in Canada, and it has never been less accessible. Canadian youth are now the most indebted generation in the country’s history. This debt will have far-reaching implications for Canada’s economy and socio-economic equality.
Check out the Green Party's Plan: http://www.greenparty.ca/en/platform/sustainable-economy

I agree with Bruce Hyer "The Trans-Pacific Partnership will undermine Canadian farmers, cost us Canadian jobs, put the health of Canadian consumers at risk, and further sacrifices our Canadian autonomy. I am proud to fight for local jobs and local agriculture by saying NO to the #TPP."
#hormonefree

The Trans-Pacific Partnership will undermine Canadian farmers, cost us Canadian jobs, put the health of Canadian consumers at risk, and further sacrifices our Canadian autonomy. I am proud to fight for local jobs and local agriculture by saying NO to the TPP.

An update for those concerned about the spraying of glysophate herbicides: The ministry spokesperson said the schedule for next year's spraying will be available for viewing in mid-March and "the Ministry encourages interested people to get involved early in the public consultation."

Don't be afraid to join the conversation tonight.
The folks at GCFLearnFree.org have you covered if you've never taken the plunge.
Learn more about HOW to join Elizabeth May and the Greens in conversation tonight for the The Globe and Mail debate
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/twitter101

Very honoured to have been endorsed by GreenPAC, Canada’s non-partisan organization committed to building environmental leadership in politics, as one of only 18 candidates from across the country selected for their strong environmental track records. Check it out at http://www.greenpac.ca/bruce_hyer_endorsed